If Leicester City wins their second-round replay against League Two side Gillingham on Thursday, they could make their first-ever trip to non-league Dagenham.
Leicester City’s FA Cup third-round match has been moved up to 12.30 p.m.
On Saturday, January 7, City will travel to either League Two strugglers Gillingham or non-league outfit Dagenham and Redbridge. The clubs will meet in a second-round replay at Gillingham’s Priestfield Stadium on Thursday to determine their fate.
While not selected for UK TV, the match has been moved to a lunchtime kick-off to accommodate overseas coverage. That means it will be an early start for City fans no matter whether they are traveling to East London or to Kent, with interest expected to be high among away supporters for what are rare trips.
City has only twice visited Gillingham, last doing so in 2004 when goals from Matt Heath and Dion Dublin secured a 2-0 win in the Championship. And City has never traveled to Dagenham’s 6,000-capacity Victoria Road. The only previous meeting between the sides was at the King Power Stadium, Matty Fryatt’s hat-trick winning an FA Cup second-round tie in 2008.
Dagenham, 10th in the National League, will be the second-lowest-ranked side in the third round if they make it past Gillingham. Only Boreham Wood, a point behind them in the fifth tier, is lower.
Only two second-round ties ended level, with the Gills’ Scott Kashket scoring an injury-time equalizer to send the game to a replay. The match will be live on BBC Three this Thursday.
